


One-shots&Juliet

by nimara



Category: & Juliet - Martin/West Read
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, One-Shot Collection, Other, They adopt Romei, Will and Anne are so soft, but they love each other - Freeform, english is not my first language so sorry for the mistakes, i love this musical so much, this family is a mess, warning : mention of abuse, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:20:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23203834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nimara/pseuds/nimara
Summary: A collection of one-shots from the &Juliet universe!1. A Dark, Dark night : William is finally home for some well deserved vacations. He didn't expect a power outage to interrupt his night with his wife. (set in moder AU. No real plot just fluff.)2. Knock Knock : A quite night for William, Anne and their six kids is interrupted by an unwanted visitor.3. No second chances : Anne didn't have the greatest childhood. But after fifteen years she thought that maybe, her parents deserved a second cance. That was a mistake. (TW : violence, mention of past child abuse!)
Relationships: Anne Hathaway Shakespeare/William Shakespeare, François Dubois/ May, Juliet Capulet/Romeo Montague, Lance Dubois/ Angélique (Nurse)
Kudos: 12





	1. 1. A Dark Dark Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William is finally home for some well deserved vacations. He didn't expect a power outage to interrupt his night with his wife. (set in moder AU. No real plot just fluff.)

William sighed, letting himself fall on the couch. He had just come back from London today, after month long negotiation with his editors and patrons. It was his first vacations in almost a year and he was glad he was finally able to stay in Stratford for more than just a weekend. Home for two weeks. Yes, that was the dream. Anne was gone groceries shopping but should be back soon. Susanna was away at college but she had promised to visit and Judith was at a friend’s house for the night.

William couldn’t wait to see his girls. He always missed them while being away. His daughters had grown up now but he still remembered how Susanna and Judith wouldn’t let go of his legs when he had to go away. He had missed home. And Anne. Will smiled. He couldn’t wait to be able to hold his wife in his arms again. Sure, they facetimed almost everyday while he was away and the weekends, he couldn’t make it to Stratford, Anne tried to go to London but it was not the same.

While waiting for his wife to come home, William took out his computer, hoping to be able to write a little bit more for his new play. He was in the middle of a sentence when he heard the car pull into the driveway. Immediately, the playwright shut his computer and almost sprinted outside. Sure enough, Anne was getting the groceries out of the car. Hearing her husband’s footsteps, she quickly looked up. The smile that appeared on her face made Will’s heart skip a bit. God she was so beautiful.

“Hello beautiful.” Said Will, leaning down to take her in his arms.

“William! I’m glad you’re home!”

It was good to be able to hold his wife in his arms again and hearing her voice without the distortion of the calling application.

“I’m glad I’m home” William said before capturing Anne’s lips into a kiss.

The groceries bags laid forgotten on the ground for a moment as they kissed. William started to deepen the kiss when,

“Maybe you two could take that inside.”

Anne and William sprung apart from each other only to look over to their neighbour. Angélique was a nurse and she was looking at them with a mix of disappointment and amusement. Anne was the first to recover,

“Oh, sorry Angélique. We’ll just go inside.”

She immediately shoved two of the grocery’s bags in her husband’s arms before dragging him inside their house, waving goodbye at Angélique.

As soon as they were inside, Anne shut the door, looking back at her husband. They looked at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing.

“Oh my god! William that was so embarrassing!”

“Oh, come on! It’s Angélique. She’s seen more embarrassing things than that!”

“William!” exclaimed Anne, playfully slapping his chest.

Will gently set the bags on the table, taking Anne in his arms again,

“So, where were we?”

*****************

Later, the Shakespeares where happily settled on the couch. Anne was watching whatever was playing on the Tv and William was reading. The redhead couldn’t help but roll her eyes every time her husband made a critic of the book.

“This is so badly written. This sentence doesn’t mean anything.”

“Yeah because “what’s done is done” does make so much more sense.”

Will would just grumble something before going back to his book. She was so happy to have him back home. It was getting pretty late and the sun was going down. Soon William turned the light on. It was nice to have a calm evening. No need to fear the screaming editors or the deadlines. The writer could finally relax, home with his wife.

But then the quiet night was interrupted. Suddenly and with no warning, everything went dark. For a few seconds they didn’t move, not really realising what was happening. But soon, Will felt Anne get closer to him, her hand resting on his arm.

“What’s happening?”

Will felt his heart squeeze at the slight break in her voice. Anne was terrified of the dark. The first time he had found that out, he had laughed. He thought it was a just a small fear. But it wasn’t. Anne’s was really and utterly terrified of the dark. He had learned that one of her cousins actually locked her in a dark cupboard for a few hours and since then she couldn’t stand to be in total darkness.

He could already feel her breathing quickens in fear. He tried to keep his voice calm and comforting as he spoke,

“It’s probably just a power outage. It should be over soon.”

Maybe turning the light on with his phone would be a good idea. But unfortunately, he had left it on the kitchen table and there was no way he was going to leave his wife alone when she was having a panic attack.

After it first happened, Will had done some research on panic attacks and on how to help the person with them. He reached out to bring an arm around Anne’s shoulders,

“Alright, come here.”

He gently moved them until Anne was snuggled in his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

“Okay relax,” he crooned, dropping a kiss on her forehead, “remember, breath slowly. In and out. In and out.”

He repeated the pattern a few times, trying to have her match his breathing. He was glad to feel that soon enough she was relaxing in his arms.

“I love you Anne.”

It took her a few moments to be able to talk but Will didn’t mind, rubbing her back gently.

“I love you too Will.”

He dropped another kiss on her head before saying,

“You can open your eyes, the power is back on.”

Anne opened her eyes and immediately shut them again. It was way to bright. She felt Will’s chuckle reverberating through his chest,

“Well my lady. The world is too bright for you?”

“You’re the one making it too bright.” Murmured Anne snuggling back into his chest.

“I’ll take that as compliment.”

Will gently ran his hand through her hair. He had always loved the way it caught the light. He felt Anne relax completely and getting a little heavier on top of him. Soon enough her breathing was deep and she was asleep. Will smiled. Yes. It was definitely good to be home.


	2. 2. Knock Knock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quite night for William, Anne and their six kids is interrupted by an unwanted visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! thank you all for reading my stories. Also in this AU William and Anne basically adopted May, Juliet, François and Romeo. One of my friend wrote an hilarious fanfic about how this happened so go read it! (https://archiveofourown.org/works/23229562)

Anne had always loved the few seconds right after waking up. The seconds where you didn’t quite remember all the troubles you would have to face during the day. The few seconds where all she could feel was her husband’s solid form next to her.

“Hello beautiful.”

The rasp in his voice made her shiver. She turned around in his arms so she could face him. Anne had always found Will very handsome. But she had to admit that getting older had definitely benefit him. And the way his eyes were halfway open, his hair tousled, he looked still half asleep and she found that very, very, attractive. But then the few seconds of bliss were over, and she remembered why the room they were in was not yet familiar. She frowned,

“I still haven’t forgiven you for making us adopt four new children and having to buy a new house.”

Will suddenly seemed far more awake,

“Oh, come on Anne. Don’t say you’re not happy to have a bigger family.”

He tightened his embrace around her just as she was trying to move away,

“Yes, but four kids at once seem a little bit over the top, don’t you think dear?”

“I mean… yeah… Kind of. But we couldn’t let them all alone.”

Anne sighed,

“I know. But you do know François has a father, right?”

“I know.” Will chuckled.

Will loved the new house. Especially their bedroom. The light coming through the window in the morning lighted Anne’s face perfectly. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers trailed down her cheek,

“You know,” he smirked, “I could make it up to you.”

Anne grinned,

“Oh really? And how would you do that Mister Shakespeare?”

“Well Mrs Shakespeare,” he rolled them over so he was on top of her, “I have a few ideas.”

Will bent down to capture her lips into a kiss. Anne started to kiss him back, threading her fingers through his hair. He gently slipped his hands underneath her t-shirt when,

“Mum! Dad! Romeo drank all of my shampoo!”

“I thought it was a smoothie!”

“It’s written shampoo in big letters on the bottle! How could you possibly think it was a smoothie?!”

Will broke the kiss, letting out a groan as he rested his head on Anne’s shoulder.

“You’re taking care of that.” Said Anne.

Will reluctantly got up and Anne already missed the weight of his body on top of hers. Before heading out of the room, Will turned back toward his wife,

“I promise you we are going to finish this later!”

Anne smiled at him as he shut the door. She stayed in bed for a few more minutes before getting up and ready for the day. She couldn’t hear Judith shouting anymore so she guessed that Will had managed to get the shampoo/smoothie situation under control. She couldn’t help but smile at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair. Will wasn’t wrong. It was nice to have a big house filled with kids.

She got out of their bedroom and made her way downstairs. Everyone was seated at the table, having breakfast, Will actively trying to fill everyone’s plate. She took advantage of being unnoticed to observer her family. Juliet was actively texting something, Judith and Susanna were talking, May and François were just eating their breakfast and Romeo was… Well she wasn’t sure what he was doing and... was that bubbles coming out of his mouth? She shook her head and walked down the few steps left,

“Good Morning everyone!”

A chorus of “good morning Anne/mum” answered her as she took a seat next to Will.

****************

Later that evening, everyone was in the living room watching TV as Will and Anne were washing the dishes.

“God. I didn’t think this “having six kids” thing through”. That’s way too many dishes to wash every time.” Sighed Will.

Anne laughed,

“We both know you didn’t think this through. But… you know, I have to admit it’s nice to have a house full of life. It hasn’t felt so lively since Hamnet…”

Her voice caught in her throat. It’s been three years since their little boy died and yet she still couldn’t manage to think about him without choking up. He had fought Leukaemia so bravely. The doctor had given him six months but he had hold on for more than two years. Sometimes Anne wished it hadn’t lasted that long. He had been so weak and tired the last few months. She could still hear the bip of the heart monitor.

“Hey. Come back with me Anne.” Whispered Will in her ear.

She hadn’t even realised that he had dried the last plate and had come to stand behind her, wrapping his arms securely around her waist.

“I’m sorry Will…” she started but her husband interrupted her

“Don’t be love. It’s hard. For all of us. I miss him every day.”

Hearing the slight crack in his voice, Anne covered his hands with her own and squeezed them slightly. They relished in each other’s presence for a little bit before being interrupted by the doorbell. Anne frowned. It was almost nine in the evening. Who could it be at this hour? She turned to see the confusion on Will’s face.

“Maybe it’s Lance and Angélique?”

The doorbell rang again. Anne and Will exchanged a look before making their way to the living room. Just as they entered the room, Susanna was getting up,

“I’ll go get it!”

As soon as their daughter had opened the door, she was roughly pushed to the side by a man who entered the house. Will immediately grabbed Susanna by the shoulders keeping her away from the stranger, as Anne went to stand between the children and the man.

“Where is my son?!”

The man shouted. He had a slight accent that Anne couldn’t place. She was about to firmly put the him back in his place when Romeo’s voice interrupted her,

“Dad? What are you doing here?”

She hadn’t expected that. And she could tell by the shock plastered on everyone else’s face that no one had. Romeo had paled slightly and Juliet quickly stood by his side, grabbing his arm. Anne turned her attention back to the man in front of her. Lord Montague was a tall and well build man, and he looked absolutely furious. The redhead stepped a little closer to him, wanting to get his attention away from a terrified Romeo. The teenage boy had told them about his childhood and Anne wanted nothing more than to punch the man in the face.

“I’m here to get you home! You are my son. You don’t belong with this _people_!”

Anne didn’t have the time to be offended by the ton he had used to describe her family as Romeo spoke once more,

“This people, as you say, have been more of a family to me than you and mom ever were. I don’t want to go back with you. I want to stay here.”

Anne saw the fury in Romeo’s dad eyes and put a hand firmly onto his chest, pushing him away as he tried to reach for his son.

“Listen Mister Montague. I think your son was very clear about what he wants. So now get out of this house before I call the police.”

It only fuelled the man’s rage. He took a step toward Anne, towering above her.

“How dare you talk to me like this?!”

Anne was starting to get a little bit scared for herself and her family. Lord Montague clearly wasn’t going to leave unless it was with his son. Just as he took another step toward her, she was suddenly face to face with Will’s back.

“You heard what she told you. Get out of this house.”

Will had made his way in front of Anne, shielding her from their unwanted visitor. Will was easily a head taller than Lord Montague and the man flattered slightly.

“Do you even know who I am?” he tried to glare at William but his fire had clearly died out.

“Yes, I know who you are. And you may be some kind of “Lord” back in Italy but here, you’re nothing. So, if I were you, I would listen to what my wife said and get out of this house.”

There was a tense silence for a moment before Lord Montague finally made his way back toward the door.

“Fine! But this won’t be the last of it! I will get my son back!”

With that, he slammed the door in the Shakespeares face. Susanna slowly made her way toward the door, locking it. She turned toward her parents,

“Well… That was… definitely something.”

“Yeah that was crazy.” Exclaimed May.

“I can’t believe he got here all the way from Italy.” Added François.

Anne finally snapped out of her stupor and turned toward the kids. She sighed,

“Okay. I think we had enough for one night. Time to go to bed everyone.”

To her relief, no one argued and everyone made their way to their respective bedrooms. She heard Judith muttered something that sounded like “I’m going to check if all the doors are closed.” Before leaving the room. Romeo was almost at the top of the stairs with Juliet when he turned back toward the older couple,

“Thank you, guys. For not letting him take me back.”

The fear in his voice made Anne’s heart break. She felt her husband wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Of course, kiddo. We couldn’t let him take you from us. Come on, go to bed.”

She could still hear the tension in Will’s voice. So good for a great day. She watched as Romeo and Juliet disappeared at the top of the stairs and she looked up at William,

“Maybe we should go to bed too.”

Will only nodded, checking that the front door was locked before taking her hand, leading her to their bedroom. As he closed the door, Anne let herself fall onto the bed,

“Well that was a great night…”

“You put yourself in danger.”

Anne sat back up, surprised by the harshness in Will’s voice.

“What do you mean? There were eight of us and he was alone. If he had tried something, we could have easily overpowered him.”

But the tension didn’t leave Will’s body or voice,

“He had a knife.”

It took a moment for Anne to comprehend what he had just say.

“A knife?”

Will turned to face her, clearly still angry and shocked by what happened,

“Yes Anne! He had a knife. When you pushed him back, he made a movement to grab it… I just…”

“You thought he was going to stab me. That’s why you intervened.”

Will sighed, rubbing his face,

“Yes. I just… God I thought I could lose you. I don’t know what I would have done if he had…. If….”

Anne got up, slowly making her way to him. She wrapped her arms tightly around his middle, tucking her head underneath his chin.

“Thank you for protecting me William.”

She was relieved to feel him return the embrace.

“Just. Never put yourself in danger like that. Please?”

She stepped back just enough to be able to look him in the eyes. There were too many emotions in them for her to read. She smiled, one of her hand reaching his face to cup his cheek, she got on her toes, pressing her lips to his in a chaste kiss.

“I promise. But only if you promise me to do the same.”

She saw the hesitation in his eyes before he finally sighed,

“I promise.”

They stood like that for a moment before Anne took his hand in her, leading him to the bed.

“Okay, I’m exhausted. I think it’s time to go to bed.”

They quickly settled under the covers, Anne resting her head on Will’s chest. She felt him sigh,

“Who thought having six children would be so much work?” whispered Will.

Anne laughed,

“Yeah especially if their angry parents start to come knocking on our door every night.”

Will groaned,

“Don’t talk about bad luck!”

Anne chuckle was interrupted by a yawn. She buried her head further into her husband’s chest,

“Goodnight William. I love you.”

She felt him press a kiss on the top of her head,

“I love you too Anne. Goodnight.”

Yes, having multiple children was definitely a lot of work. But right before she fell asleep, Anne decided that she wouldn’t have it any other way.


	3. 3. No second chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne didn't have the greatest childhood. But after fifteen years she thought that maybe, her parents deserved a second cance. That was a mistake. (TW : violence, mention of past child abuse!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW : violence, mention of past child abuse!  
> in this story Anne and Will adopted Romeo and Romeo's parents were also abusive. Please read this wonderful fic that covers this part of the story : https://archiveofourown.org/works/23250211

Anne didn’t really know why she was here. Standing in front of her childhood home’s door she remembered the fear, the terror she felt every time she had to take a step inside. And yet here she was, fifteen years after she had last stepped a foot in this house.

She knew her parents still lived there. She could see the light emanating from the living room window. She didn’t know what to do. They had put her through so much. Why should she give them another chance? They didn’t deserve it. But they were her parents. Maybe they’d actually be happy to see her.

She raised her hand to knock on the door and stopped a few inches away from the wood. Maybe she should have told Will where she was. She shook her head. Last time they hurt her she was barely an adult. Now that she was older, maybe things would change. Anne took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

**************

Back at their house, Will was starting to get worried. He had received a text from Anne earlier telling him not to wait for her to start dinner and that she would be back later tonight. It was so unlike Anne to just disappear like that. But then again, their lives had changed quite a bit in a very short time. As he put one of the now clean plate to dry, Will looked back over his shoulder. Susanna and Judith were seated on the couch, laughing at some kind of video while Rome was seated on the floor, watching TV.

Will smiled, it had been now officially a month since they’ve adopted Romeo. It felt good, to have him with them. Of course, they often had Juliet, May and François with them too, but the three of them had decided to go visit Lance and Angélique in London for the weekend. Of course, he loved them all but Judith, Susanna and Romeo would always have a special place in his heart.

Will thoughts wandered to Romeo’s parents and he felt the anger rise. How could someone hurt a good kid like Romeo? No parents should ever raise their hands against their kids. And no kids should have to be afraid of their parents. He remembered at how, after confessing the abuse, Romeo had started to look healthier. He ate more, slept more and better and he didn’t hesitate to go see Will or Anne whenever something bothered him.

Anne on the other end was more in her thoughts than usual. She was distant and often distracted. At first, Will had put her behaviour on the back of the whole long and complicated adoption process. But one night, as they laid in bed, Anne finally confided in him. His heart constricted in his chest just to think about it.

***********

_Will had just closed his eyes when he felt Anne curl into his side. He happily opened his arms so she could settle against. Once her head was rested on his chest, he wrapped his arms around her. He could feel the tension in her body and after a few seconds, he decided to talk,_

_“Anne… You’ve been... distant lately. If anything is bothering you, you can tell me.” He kissed the top of her head, “You can tell me anything.”_

_She didn’t answer right away, but she snuggled closer to him. He heard her take a shaky breath,_

_“Romeo wasn’t the only one who had a bad childhood.”_

_For a second, it was like his brain refused to take in the information. But then, everything made sense. When they first started dating, she always wore long sleeves, when they had first gotten intimate with each other, she had insisted that it would be in the dark, as soon as they found out she was pregnant she wanted to get married right away. And as soon as they were wedded, they moved to the other side of the town. Away from her parents._

_Will moved her slightly so he could look her into the eyes. His wife, his beautiful, gentle, kind wife had been abused by her parents. He saw her eyes filled with tears and immediately brought her back against his chest, holding her tightly._

_“Oh Anne… I …. You never said anything about it.”_

_Anne chuckled sadly,_

_“It’s not the easiest subject to bring up with the love of your life.”_

_Will just held her tighter. He remembered her parents. They had seemed so nice. Now, he knew that if he saw them again, he would get mad, furious even. They didn’t deserve to have such a wonderful daughter. Anne was the best thing that ever happened to him and he couldn’t even imagine how someone could lay a hand on her._

_“It’s just” she sniffed, “hearing that Romeo went through what I’ve been through… Oh Will, I wouldn’t whish that on anyone. Parents are supposed to love you… They’re not supposed to… To…”_

_As she started sobbing, Will could swear his heart broke in his chest. He just held her tighter, rubbing her back soothingly and muttering what he hoped were comforting words, in her ear._

_“I love you Anne. Nothing can happen to you while I’m here. I will protect you. Always.”_

_****************_

“Dad?”

Will snapped out of his thoughts to see his three children looking at him from the doorway. He smiled,

“Yes kids?”

Susanna yawned,

“It’s getting pretty late. We’re going to bed. Mum isn’t home yet?”

Will sighed,

“No. She said she would be home late tonight.”

They seemed to accept his answer, and moved to kiss him goodnight. As soon as he had hugged his three kids and as they went each to their respective bedroom, Will sat down on the couch. He knew he wouldn’t be able to go to sleep until Anne got home. He put on a random movie and sighed. He checked his phone but still no news from Anne. Maybe he should call her. He pressed the phone to his ear but call went straight to voicemail.

_“Hi there it’s Anne Shakespeare! I am unable to pick up the phone right now but leave a message!”_

Will hesitated for a moment, before deciding on leaving a message,

“Yes, Anne this is Will. Your husband. I was just wondering if you were alright. It’s almost 11pm and I’m starting to worry…. Please call me back if you get this message before you come home. I love you.”

As he hung up, Will couldn’t help but worry. Maybe she was just driving. Yeah, she was driving, that’s why she didn’t pick up the phone.

Almost two hours passed until Anne finally got home. Will had put another film on, he was tired but he couldn’t bring himself to go to sleep. He was almost going to call the police when he heard a key turn in the lock of the front door. Will sprinted to the house’s front door, almost tripping on the carpet in the process and sure enough, Anne was closing back the door when he got there.

“Anne! Oh my god I was worried sick. I thought maybe something had…”

He stopped dead in his tracks when his wife turned to face him. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears and she was shaking from head to toe. But that’s not what made Will stop. On her left cheek was a red mark. A clear mark of a hand. She wasn’t wearing her coat so Will could see the bruises covering her arms. Someone had hurt his wife. He crossed the distance between them in only a few steps and bent down to check her over for any other injuries,

“Oh my god Anne! What happened? Were you attacked? Are you hurt any where else? I’m taking you to the hospital…”

He started grabbing his keys and coat when Anne stopped him,

“No Will… please… just… hold me. Please?”

He didn’t hesitate one second. He immediately enveloped her in his arms, mindful to not squeeze her too much in case she was hurt anywhere else. He could feel her tears wetting his T-shirt and his heart broke.

“Anne please,” he started gently “I need you to tell me what happened.”

She was still shaking and Will tightened his hold on her.

“I went to see my parents.”

It was barely a whisper but the words rung into Will’s ears. He was going to kill them. He felt the rage rise within him but forced himself to stay calm for his wife’s sake.

“We need to go to the police.”

She shook her head, “No.”

“Anne please…”

She looked up from his chest, “No Will. I just… It was a mistake and I… I just want to forget it ever happened.”

Will was conflicted. He wanted Anne’s parents to be punished for what they had done. But at the same time, he would never go against his wife’s wishes. He sighed. Right now, Anne needed him. That was all that mattered. _She_ was all that mattered. He gently led her to the couch and sat her down.

“Do you need anything, love?”

Anne wiped some tears with her hand and looked at him with wide yes,

“You. I need you Will.”

He immediately dropped on the couch next to her and let her curled into his side. They didn’t say anything for a long time. Will just rubbed her back and dropped kisses on her forehead from time to time.

“I thought maybe they’d be happy to see me. I was so stupid.”

Will cupped her face, making her look at him,

“You’re not stupid Anne. They’re the one who are stupid. They don’t deserve to have you as a daughter. You are the most amazing person I know.”

She gave him a watery smile, covering his hands with hers,

“Thank you for being there for me William.”

Will bent down, capturing her lips in a loving kiss,

“Always. I’ll always be there for you.”

They stayed wrapped around each other for a few more minutes before deciding to go to bed. But as they reached the top of the stairs, Romeo’s door opened,

“Mum, dad? Is that you…”

Will could tell the moment their son spotted the red mark on Anne’s cheek. Romeo paled slightly but Will didn’t expect to be the one receiving a murderous glare from the teenage boy,

“Are you the one who did this?!” Romeo demanded.

Stunned for a moment, Will was about to reply when almost simultaneously, Susanna and Judith got out of their bedrooms,

“What is going on?”

“Mum? Oh my god what happened?”

Okay this was definitely not how Will had whished things would turn out. To his surprise it was Anne who started to speak,

“I’m fine. No, Romeo, Will didn’t do this to me. He would never hit me.”

Will was happy to see Romeo relax, though he was a little bit hurt that his son could think he would have done something like this.

“What happened is that…” Anne pause slightly, tears pooling in her eyes once again, “Is that I went to my parent’s.”

At the worried and confused stares of her three children she continued, grateful for Will who wrapped an arm around her shoulders for support.

“My parents. Aren’t the best parents in the world. Far from it even. They used… they used to... hit me when I was little. I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea but… hearing Romeo’s story brought back some memories and I… I thought… I just thought that maybe after fifteen years… Things would have changed.”

Anne’s vision was blurred by the tears but she was suddenly enveloped in three pairs of arms. She soon felt Will wrapped his arms around them all. Anne, couldn’t help the tears that started to roll down her cheeks. But somehow, she knew everything was going to be alright. She had wonderful children and a loving husband, that was what really mattered. Screw her parents.


	4. 4. White Dresses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Instead of her finale outfit, Anne wear the white dress from That's the Way It Is, during François and Juliet's weeding. It takes Will's breath away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a short one-shot. It's mostly a reflection on Will's part. It's a bit messy and emotional but Will is an emotional dumbass so that's pretty fitting I would say! ;)  
> Enjoy!

Onstage, they get ready for the wedding. Will had never been part of his own play before and it’s a bit weird. But he doesn’t complain. He wants this story to be done, and done the way he wants. He loves Anne to pieces but he is the playwright and this is his play not hers. Maybe they could write another one together when this was over.

Juliet enters and the room falls silent. But Will doesn’t even look at the teenage girl. His eyes focused only on Anne. She is wearing a simple, laced white dress. She is beautiful. He feels the breath catch in his throat and his heart fluttering slightly. Holding the bouquet in her hands, her red hair tumbling down her shoulder, she could have been easily mistaken as the bride. In Will’s eyes, there was no one else but her in that moment. She looked like a fairy, too beautiful to even be human. It reminded him the day they got married.

He had been 18, still a kid, when they got married. People had laughed. An eighteen-year-old, with no job, no apprenticeship, marrying a twenty-six-year-old. A pregnant, twenty-six-year-old. Truth to be told, they weren’t even sure that she was pregnant. She was barely three months along at the time. Sure, there had been signs: her being sick in the morning, feeling more tired than usual and the small, barely noticeable bump on her belly. They had only doubts. But Will proposed anyway. He didn’t care if that meant that his life as a kid was over. He loved Anne and their unborn child way too much to give that up. He was going to be there for them. Always. He still remembered what she had told him that day,

“Will, I love you. I do. But you’re so young. You have your whole life ahead of you and you don’t have to stay with me because of my mistakes.”

There were times when her words still came to his mind. What would have happened if he had walked away that day? He would have been fucking miserable, that’s what would have happened. So, he had insisted, until she agreed to marry him. It had been a small and quick ceremony. The priest looking at the underage-boy and pregnant woman out of wedlock like they were the devil incarnated. They had been so happy. Happy just to be together. And back then the only thing they had were doubts.

Doubts had been enough for them to marry. And now doubts were tearing them apart. He looked around him. He looked at the mess they had created. Was it really what he wanted to do with this play? Maybe he should let her write the rest of it. No. He had worked so hard on this. He couldn’t just throw it all away. And he knew she wasn’t going to either. They were just too stubborn. None of them ready to concede to the other just yet. Was it what was going to be the end of their relationship? Stubbornness?

No. It couldn’t be the end. He couldn’t imagine his life without her. And she wasn’t going to leave him. Right? Their eyes locked for a few seconds and the anger, the sorrow he saw in them… He almost broke down. He had never seen Anne this mad before. But he had seen her this sad before. When they had lost their little boy. He wasn’t even here for her or the girls when that happened. He was a terrible husband. But he just… couldn’t. His son. His baby. His little boy, gone. It had been almost too much for him. He still remembered when he had got back, six months after Hamnet’s death. The look of sorrow on his wife’s face, and yet the relief to have him with her once more.

Anne deserved better. He should have walked away that day she had told him to. He would have spared her the grief and sorrow of having a husband off in London for half of the year.

But now, after 14 years by her side, he was too selfish to do it. He loved her and the girls so much. But he also loved being a playwright. He had worked so hard and it had payed off. After years in misery he had finally started to earn money, he had been able to give his wife and children a better life. And yes, he had to admit the fame, the applause, were intoxicating. It was selfish but he couldn’t give that up either. Because giving that up meant that all this time apart from his family was wasted. It meant that the years apart from his son, his dying son, meant nothing. Sure, they had money. Enough money to live quietly for probably the rest of their lives. But Will finally felt like he could offer something better to his family. Finally, he wasn’t the mocked 18-year-old anymore, he was one of the most famous playwrights of his time.

But the sight of his wife in this white dress is almost enough to make him give that all up. He watched as Romeo moved slightly toward the stage where the wedding is taking place. The boy’s eyes full of love and adoration as he glanced at Juliet and Will can’t help but wonder if Romeo is remembering his own wedding too. They’re both idiots. They’re all idiots. Trying to fix something by only destroying it more.

Then, François and Juliet both stop the wedding. Will sighs in relief. He holds back Romeo as he tries to reach for Juliet. Even Will knows that now isn’t the time. Chaos ensue and everyone starts to leave the stage. He can’t help but look over his shoulder to see Anne disappearing in the wings, opposite to where he is going. Will can’t help but hope. Hope, that when they will leave the theatre it will be hand in hand. And not walking in opposite directions.


End file.
